It’s Groundhog Day!
Learn:
I don’t know about you, but Groundhog Day brings back two very different memories: One of creating rodent-themed art projects in elementary school, and one of endless reruns of the Bill Murray movie with my family. Both very satisfying memories.
But what does this have to do with phenology?
Well, the legend of the groundhog using his/her shadow to predict the coming of spring isn’t maybe as accurate as I believed when I was seven, but groundhogs (also known as woodchucks, whistlepigs, or even mouse bears) are an animal that we can use as a measure of spring’s arrival.
Groundhogs are true hibernators, with their breathing slowing to about 2 beats per minute (!), a heart rate of 5 beats per minute (again !!!) and a body temperature of just 37 degrees Fahrenheit. As a comparison, humans can suffer hypothermia with a body temperature drop to just 95 degrees Fahrenheit. These little rodents were made to survive the winter outdoors.
In February, groundhogs do come out of their burrows. But this is maybe a fact better suited for Valentine’s Day: these are male groundhogs who are heading out to search for females that may have denned in the same territory. Research suggests that these visits are for bonding purposes, not mating, as these pups would be born too early in the spring to survive.
So… Keep an eye out for groundhogs over the next month - and celebrate the arrival of spring with their amorous movements.
Read:
Late winter is the time that we start hoping for signs of spring to appear. Brownie Groundhog and February Fox by Susan Blackaby and illustrated by Carmen Segovia find that signs of spring are not quite ready, but they discover ways to spend the weeks without fox eating Brownie. It’s a perfect book for Groundhog Day or anytime you need to be encouraged to wait for what’s ahead.
Do:
Winter shadows are fun to explore! On a clear, bright day, notice how the shadows in the middle of the day are still quite long. This is due to the angle of the sun this time of year - it stays close to the horizon, making our shadows long. For a longer project, measure your shadow at the same time of day once a week. As we “march” towards spring, notice how the length of your shadow changes!